As far as security systems go: we have one. Many people in our neighborhood do.
Mind you, we’ve never actually “turned it on” (i.e when going out, turn on the alarm system).
It was installed by the original house’s owners. Otherwise, I expect we’d never have bothered.
We did not have service at all, until my older kid started middle school and we knew he’d be home alone for about 2 hours most days. He’s mildly autistic, and sensitive to noises, so we wanted the police / fire department to know to look upstairs in case an alarm sounded (as his response to sudden loud noise, back then, would have been to hide under his bed - as proven when the system went off once by accident).
I don’t seriously worry about home invaders when we’re home. If it happened, we could hit the panic button on the keypad in the master bedroom.
As far as any sort of weapon… I doubt I could even wield a baseball bat successfully, sigh…
Gun owner and former NRA member here. (Might be one again as soon as Nugent chokes on a turd and dies, but I digress.) I’ve never displayed NRA emblems or any of that shit because I believe it is the same as asking to be burglarized while you are at work.
A cousin rigged up something ---- a couple motion detectors on the first floor that trigger a light and a soft alarm next to his bed. No cats and the family all know the system and can disarm it if they are raiding the kitchen. If it goes off he has the chance to assess the situation and take appropriate measures from dialing the police to arming himself. He has had it go off maybe 5 times in 15 years; four for things falling normally and once for an intruder. Short version is it worked as needed and makes him feel safer. I must admit to having considered copying it myself.
Thanks for linking those articles, they were a great read, and really dissect and detail a trend I’ve been aware of in a general way over the last decade or so.
I’ve had a dog sleep through a home invasion*. However, I still believe in dogs as a deterrent, and encourage them to threaten to eviscerate the pizza delivery men. It can’t hurt.
If someone is determined to break into your house, they will. The best you can do is to make your house the less attractive option. Dog, locked windows on first flow, motion detector lights, are good.
I also like a combination locks on at least one door so you’re not tempted to leave one unlocked during the day and don’t have to worry about the kids loosing one.
Don’t get a gun. Keep your cell phone charged.
*That home invasion - it could have been a new neighbor’s friend at the wrong address.
Working in a 911 center for the last 20 years, it is my personal opinion that monitored alarm systems are basically worthless. The alarm goes off, a monitoring center receives it, goes through a checklist, which usually ends with calling the police. The information is relayed to the dispatcher, who then dispatches officers. The chances of officers being close to your house is pretty rare. I work in an urban area and in all the years I have been here, I can count on one hand the times that we have managed to get to a house in time to interrupt the burglar. A majority of the alarms received are false alarms. We get so many that my cities and most of the surrounding cities have ordinances that will fine a homeowner for too many false alarms, (Standard is more than two in a month will get you a $50 fine for the first, and then it goes up from there). If you live in a more rural area, police response is even slower.
When friends and family ask, I have always recommended what has already been mentioned, sturdy bushes no higher than the window, motion lights etc. With better internet speeds and the advent of reliable and reasonably priced wireless cameras that can be monitored and recorded from anywhere, I have started recommending them as well.
When it comes to home protection, only you can decide what is best when it comes to weapons.
I don’t know the ages of your children but I submit that night time wanderings inside the home do happen. So interior motion sensors are a bad idea. Exterior lights on motion sensors, perhaps on a timer would be a good idea. Entry alarms (doors, windows) to an alarm might be a good idea. Doggies are good.
Guns… this can be a can of worms. You can’t just buy a firearm and be protected. You have to train with it. Where are you going to keep it? What about over penetration? Bullets can penetrate drywall, plywood, and siding. Try shooting life sized silhouette targets at a range at different distances. You might be surprised. I’ve read that for home defense, a shotgun is your best choice; less overpenetration, better chance of hitting the target, and the sound of a pump chambering a shell can be enough to convince an intruder to try another home.
It should be evident that judging the worth of alarm systems on the basis of how often cops get there in time to interrupt burglars, omits other factors in their favor.
“A study released (in 2009) by the School of Criminal Justice at Rutgers University found that the real value of security systems was that they protected entire neighborhoods. The study, which focused on Newark from 2001 to 2005, found that residential break-ins decreased as the density of alarms in an area increased.”
This survey of burglars doing time found mixed opinions on the value of alarm systems, but there seemed to be a consensus that if an alarm went off, it was time to give up and get out.
I like the idea of using multiple forms of deterrence.